Members Meeting 4-28-2010 Ministry updates
Teaching – Tom Haunty
We continue to teach on New Paradigms to live by in the book of James on the 3rd and 4th Sundays of the month. We are using James practical and sometimes sharp exhortations to examine the depth of our intimacy with God. We are on a journey of maturing in our living for Jesus and this book gives building blocks of change we need to make in our characters in order to press into that growth. On the 2nd Sunday Paul Bell continues to keep us focused on the glorious return of the Lord and how today we are to be better prepared to receive Him. Our Community Sunday continues to be the first Sunday of every month where we testify of what God is doing in our lives and celebrate that intimacy we have with him through Communion together. The teaching comes directly from the testimonies where each who shares encourages the body that God is real, He loves us and wants us closer to Him.
HG4HGLs – Sue Peterson
Overall, HG's are going well and the leaders themselves are in a good place. The Bells group , Intensity, has started and is stabilizing. The Moores, as new leadership, have transplanted into the Backues group, Vineyard. All groups continue to build in community and finding ways to do 'love in action' more in depth to a smaller group of people. Each group is doing something different as far as the growth in Christ for the group. We have been covering topics in the HG4HGL meeting that involve ministering in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, following the move of the Spirit over the corporate setting (which can applied to small groups) and foundational scriptures on healing. We plan a blessing time for Steve and Adriene in May and thank them for their serving and caring in the flock.
Missions – Scott B
FCBC supported 12 people who attended Urbana and will be supporting Hannah Lanser going on a mission trip to Israel June 9 and Eliana Falibene headed to Moldova (though because of the volcanic ash cloud, the trip is being re-constructed.
Mandy Applegate joined the mission team and has a rich history of involvement in missions. Our long term supported missionaries are doing well. The Kopans are planning to visit in July and the Howards are coming in the fall.
We are enjoying the fellowship of our African brothers Victor (from
Nigeria) and Kwaku (from Ghana) as we continue to seek Jesus to place us in relationship with believers on the African continent. We have also spent time praying for Derek's ministry in the Triangle as he attempts to walk out a life of faith in that environment.
Children’s Ministry – Julia P
Children's Ministry Preschool: a team of artists have teamed up with Julia to create a curriculum of "story boxes" telling of the life of Jesus, important events in scripture, and parables - all age-appropriate for 3-5 year olds. This year-long project is approaching the end. A few story boxes are still to be completed. Julia is working steadily on writing scripts for the teachers to use.
This continues to be a very positive experience for our preschool age children.
Also, new volunteers (including Alex Haunty, Katie Hunt, Mark Gentry and Elizabeth Godlewski) have made our preschool team a real working group - each Sunday 2 teachers team up to teach and enjoy the 6-8 children.
Never worked with Kids? Not sure how you'd do? Ask Mark Gentry for his take on preschoolers - he's been surprised by how much fun they are!
Mighty Kids: New revelation! Recently Holy Spirit woke Julia in the middle of the night to give a different picture of Mighty Kids teaching teams. Because consistency and relationship are very important to our 6-11 year olds, She'd been envisioning teams of teachers signing up to teach 6 week units. But, Holy Spirit showed her that having teams teach one week each month would accomplish the same thing - allow time for relationship-building, and (over the months) a consistent adult presence the children can count on.
So - Julia's vision for the summer is to recruit and build a team of 10 people - four teams of 2 people willing to get to know, enjoy, and pass on the things of the Spirit to children one week each month AND a 5th team interested in doing a special Advent Unit once a year.
Interested in giving one Sunday a month to our children? Interested in a special Advent unit? Interested in learning how to pass on the gifts Father is growing in FCBC to our next generation? This isn't the Sunday School you may have grown up with - it's a vision for raising up young warriors in the Kingdom right here at FCBC - teaching them to pray, hear the voice of God, believe for healing, worship, and become a friend of Jesus.
Interested? Call Julia @ 332 6056
Finally - this summer....are you interested in history? Love the heroes of the faith? Know about folks like William Tyndale, Mary Slessor, Jim Elliot?
This summer our Mighty Kids are going to learn about some of the great heroes of the Church. We've purchased a well-done animated video series telling of the lives of these saints.
We need volunteers for 8 Sundays - 2 folks each time - to lead simple lessons - snack, watch the video, use a prepared list of "think about it" questions to talk about the "hero of the week" with the children.
Are you interested in sharing your love of history and the heroes of the faith with children? Call Julia @ 332 6056
Website – Bobbette
The audio team and I have developed a good way to get the sermons copied each week and available on the web site. I have some up now and hope to fill in the ones we are missing from Paul Bell's History of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and maybe even the past James teachings and then we will be putting future ones up each week. For those people wanting copies of teachings at the end of the service and for those who missed the teaching, here is a good way of getting accessing them.
New Members "This is Us” – Mike M
We are planning to run “This is Us” during the week of May 10th. The most probable date is: Friday, May 14th at 7 pm at FCBC. We are also considering Thursday or Saturday morning.
There are 3 people already signed up to attend & we are open for more attendees. Contact Mike Moore at or call him at 628-0800 if you know someone who wants to attend or would like to attend yourself.
Financial report – Mike M
As of the end of April 2010 we are just about where we planned to be. We were planning to run $15, 804 in the red (more expenses than income which is covered by a big surplus at the end of December) & we were actually $15,300 in the red. We have received gifts of $59,554 while spending $74,850. We have $66,000 in our checking & savings accounts. In light of the current economy no salary increases were budgeted for this year & we are more closely monitoring our spending so we are able to do all we have planned for.
We are thankful for the continued generous giving of the FCBC body especially in light of the recessionary times our country is experiencing. If you have any question or would like a more complete Financial Report just let me know & I'd be glad to provide you with one.
College Ministry Update - Peter Horton
24-7 Prayer Room
I met two UW students at the church last week who came to pray. One said to me, “Thank you so much for opening your church for this prayer room. It’s been such a blessing to us.” The other responded “ I wish all churches would do things like this.”
The most common thing I hear from them is that they find a tremendous “Peace” in the space. In fact that’s the thing I hear from nonstudents and other various ministry leaders I meet with at the church periodically.
I keep hearing over and over again how thankful students are for a space like this where they can come and pray. Thank you elders and church for allowing our sanctuary to be a place of blessing, life, and intercession for UW students this semester.
At the end of the 40 days of prayer I met with leaders from the four campus ministries who helped design and decorate the room. Here are their comments about the impact that praying in the prayer room has had this year and last.
- Over the prayer season I saw breakthrough in my frat Alpha Delta Phi, there is a new openness to the gospel that I’ve never seen before.
- I know that students who entered room encountered tremendous peace that allowed them to focus on Lord. It’s unlike anything we have on campus.
- The prayer room is a space where we can go deep w/God in ways we can’t in our dorm room.
- The first time I spent time in the room I got goose bumps. It was so overwhelming and wonderful – the presence of God so strong… (I felt like I was going to throw up)
- All semester the prayer room was a space where I came and kept bumping into other students who I’ve felt led to pray for or who are led to pray for me – it’s been a place to bless and be blessed
- Large events here in this room have been a benchmark for students in our chapter going deeper with God. Many point to this room and say “this was a big day for me”
- In this room our prayer team meetings were transformed from just talking about praying to actual prayer. Sometimes we come and pray for hours and even though we have other things to do, no one wants to leave. (story from my recent ministry update)
- Because of the prayer room this semester our leadership team and staff were led to spend several hours confessing our sins to one another and seeking the Lord.
I head of one testimony from last year where a young woman encountered the love of God praying in the room and was healed from Anorexia. I’ve been after her to write it up so I can post it on my blog and share it at church.
This past Friday a group called PULSE came to campus to ask if we would like their help bringing the different ministries on campus together for an evangelistic outreach next school year. The key to their ministry is unity in prayer. We were able to tell them that God has already been at work in that area for some time.
The Well
We’ve met three times this semester on Saturday evenings to talk about, worship, receive and impart the Love of God. At every meeting the Lord meets students in a significant way. I’m often hearing back from students how significant it is for them.
This past Saturday we talked about how we are united already as a body on campus and that the challenge isn’t to unify in big events but rather to learn to better love one another. We used Ephesians 4:2-3.
“2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
The call is to affirm the unity we already have in the Spirit by loving one another and seeking the bond of peace. Loving those that are hard to love and those we disagree with, loving the different churches in and the different campus ministries, etc. The only thing that makes this possible, is knowing that we are loved and learning to love who God has made us.
We spent a good deal of time worshiping, reading out the truths of scripture and then imparting to one another the truth of who we are in Christ and the Father’s love for us.
There might be a student or two who can testify to this and how it’s ministered to them.
We have one Well left this coming Saturday. The students asked that we spend some time focused on how to grow in the Prophetic.
Study Day
I would like to host another Study day for students. That is Saturday the 8th. All this means is asking the church to bring some food and maybe buying some for students as well. They will be here from Noon to Midnight or later. I’m seeking permission from Mike today to use the church and asking him to inquire of the Elders.
This Summer
No solid plans yet for this summer. Getting together with Paul Bell has been difficult due to travel and illness. We are planning on it. But it’s still a work in process.
So far I’m only aware of Elizabeth and Zach being here from the UW. We are going to pray about the summer and consider some possibilities for growing in prayer and intimacy. At this time there is no plan on a Monday night group like last year. However, we do want to meet together weekly, possibly Monday nights, with other students from all campus ministries, to intercede for the campus ministries and churches and for revival and awakening at the UW Madison.
Youth Ministry – Paul B
FCBC Jr. High Youth Groups
This year the Gold Dust Gang had six members with Mary Beth Haunty as a helper
We met and adopted Tayron Crawford, a missionary to Cambodia.
We studied spiritual gifts and their practically in our daily lives.
We learned how to use the “hand” as a tool to discern the Voice of the Lord.
Next year we are looking at keeping the group together as a mixed Jr. high and Sr. High
We will find times this summer to hang out and take trips of to wonderful places as time and families permit.
Senior High Youth Group
This year we had five of FCBC’s own high schoolers with several visitors from other churches and youth groups. We ran from six to twelve in attendance three of the four sundays.
We worshiped, learned, had a Jesus Party with guests praying for us and had a few drum circle prayer times.
The group is talking about keep meeting somewhat during this summer and also looking into the same group staying together to meet during the up coming school year.
Worship ministry – Laurie Croasdale
Music Ministry currently has 4 teams of musicians comprised of 7 worship leaders and ~23 additional musicians. The teams rotate on a monthly schedule and currently practice on Sunday mornings. Soon the format of the teams will change slightly and there will be additional rehearsals for some of the teams that will become more of a band with a steady worship leader and less interchanging of members from one team to another.
The past couple of years the music ministry has had many training sessions to equip the members of the music ministry to work together, to increase individual and group technical skills and other things. These sessions were so fun and helped people to grow in their efforts in corporate worship that we decided to share some of this with the whole congregation, thus the Worship Workshops were born.
Worship Workshops
January – April 2010.
We offered classes for all those who were interested in exploring and learning more about the arts and worship. Workshops were scheduled for the 4th Sundays of each month and EVERYONE was invited to participate, they began at noon and ended at 2pm. No lunch or childcare was provided but that seemed to work out alright. People provided their own lunches and made due in the ways they needed for childcare. All the sessions were well attended with 20 – 40 people per workshop.
In review this is what was offered:
(several of the sessions are recorded on CD as well)
Sunday, January 24th
Visual Arts in the House of Worship – Bobbette Rose began a discussion about the way all visuals effect our worship, starting with the light in the room, to the type of chairs we sit on, to the color of the walls.
Musical Improvisation 101 – Vocal and Instrumental Laurie Croasdale lead some exercises to explore musical improvisation.
How Does It All Work? – Karl Hauth taught and took questions about Operating the technical equipment for sound and visuals in our worship space
Groans, Cries & Musical Expressions Of the Soul & Spirit – Laurie Croasdale lead a talk and exercise on spiritual and Spiritual expressions of worship
Sunday, February 28 – noon – 2pm
Prophecy and Visions in the Flow of Corporate Worship – Sue Peterson shared some of her experiences and ideas for the flow of worship. Laurie Croasdale led a discussion trying to break down some of what happens on a Sunday morning.
Penny Whistle with Penny (Seaberg) and Mike Crossley –In this session people heard Mike play and started to learn some tunes on penny whistle.
Get in the GrooveThis session was for those that play guitar, drums, piano, bass and other rhythm section instruments. We talked about playing together with other people, how to create arrangements and fun grooves with the group you have.